19. The Final Collapse

High atop the mountains many miles from Bloodstain Gorge, Arian gazed toward the distant canyon, where towering crimson flames and rolling black smoke billowed skyward.

In his hands, one arcane spell after another flickered to life, allowing his consciousness to meld with the surrounding environment, granting him command over the entire region’s weather.

The spell of “Weather Control.”

The blazing sun, the cloudless sky stretching endlessly, and the scorching winds that fanned the flames—all were not natural, but the result of Arian’s dominion over the weather.

Clearly, having chosen a fiery assault, a meticulous mage such as Arian must consider the weather. After all, if it rained, the plan would falter.

In theory, Arian could have taken part in the battle personally, which would have made this already devastating slaughter even simpler.

Yet he chose not to intervene directly, instead silently offering support from the sidelines.

After all, this was a “training battle,” designed to help Eldorin’s battle mages gradually acquire modern military thinking and familiarize themselves with the systematic demands of supernatural warfare.

“Through intelligence gathering to discover the enemy’s weaknesses, tactical use of terrain and environment, pre-battle arrangements employing non-supernatural means (flammable materials), teleportation-based raids and tactical maneuvers, and unified command fostering team coordination...”

“All with scarcely any need to expose themselves to the enemy’s firepower or engage in direct confrontation...”

“Hopefully, Eldorin’s mages will learn enough from this to pass down such military doctrines in time...”

Indeed, among many operational plans, Arian did not choose the most efficient one, but the one best suited for effective “drill” purposes...

...

After the orcish coalition returned to their tribes, dragging their burned and weary bodies and leaving countless valiant warriors dead, their catastrophe had not ended.

Over the following ten to twenty days, Eldorin’s elite mages launched multiple night raids against the exhausted orcs.

Utilizing long-range teleportation, squads would materialize directly within the orc camps—and before teleporting, they used “Divination” to survey the destination, selecting the optimal arrival points and designing the entire assault sequence.

Then, at the very moment the teleportation completed, every mage except the caster had finished their initial incantation, unleashing a devastating barrage of firepower that struck the orcish tents in the dead of night.

The sleeping orc camps suffered heavy blows; many orc commanders were gruesomely beheaded.

...

Before the orcs could fully grasp the attack and organize an effective counterstrike, the mages would immediately teleport away to the next target.

Sometimes, the mages appeared just long enough to unleash a furious bombardment for mere seconds before vanishing, leaving the orcs no time to regroup or mount a proper defense.

Through this method, several high-ranking orc commanders and shamans were beheaded, dealing a severe blow to the three great orc clans.

Concentrate forces, strike swiftly, and break them apart!

The goal: to annihilate the enemy’s living strength as quickly as possible.

This was, according to Arian’s instructions, the most effective attack method against numerous weaker units.

If the enemy gathers, they grow stronger; so break them apart piece by piece without giving them a chance to unite. Meanwhile, our forces remain concentrated.

The Lanchester Equation.

A combat dynamic theory advanced by 20th-century Earth humans—Arian’s ancestral past—emphasizing the strategic importance of “concentrated fire” and “defeat in detail” in battles fought within line of sight.

Of course, teleportation itself is a highly advanced spell, typically transporting only about ten people at once, so this tactic only works against a limited number of elite forces.

Orcs are poor in magic, with only a few “Orc Shamans” able to wield divine magic, and even those are low in quality and quantity, incapable of countering spatial magic—another key reason this strategy succeeded.

In short, after nearly a month of relentless raids, the three great orc clans utterly collapsed.

“Leave this place. Stay far from Eldorin’s lands!”

This was the cry the mages raised during each assault.

The orc tribes now fully realized they could not stand against these magical humans.

Two months of orcish clan warfare had cost the tribes too many warriors and skilled shamans.

In the inferno of Bloodstain Gorge, the orcs left behind tens of thousands of charred bodies.

Now, these frequent night raids and decapitations of orc commanders were the final, fatal stab into the heart of the orc tribes...

Within a few short months, the three great orc clans had lost an entire generation.

...

In this struggle between humans and orcs, they had been defeated.

“Chieftain, we must flee. Let us leave this place.”

“Yes, those human mages are too formidable. Our tribe has suffered grievous losses; we cannot continue the fight.”

“If we keep fighting, the clan will be destroyed!”

“...”

As fear spread through the tribes, the orc chieftains of the three clans were forced to make their final decision:

“There is no other way—retreat.”

“Leave this land and travel far south—to the southeastern corner of the continent, away from those wretched humans!”

“In the forests of the continent’s southeast, there is a mighty dragon lord commanding thousands of goblins, kobolds, half-dragons, and draconic kin. We can seek refuge with this dragon lord...”

“Perhaps one day, with the aid of that green dragon lord’s forces, we can return and utterly destroy the human race in vengeance for our fallen heroes!”

Listening to the chieftains and high shamans announce the migration plan, and watching their people prepare supplies and set out on the long journey southward, Haug Bloodwolf’s heart sank to the depths.

This orc warrior, who had lost an arm to General Thor, did not wish to abandon the land where they had battled humans.

He refused to admit the orcs’ defeat!

Within Haug’s heart, a bold plan took root.